Sqoop’s Founder and CEO Bill Hankes wrote in the report that Sqoop’s results differ from IFI’s because it seeks out subsidiaries and combines them under one umbrella. For example, patent totals for Microsoft include the proper company name as well as subsidiaries like Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC.

“A notable and symbolic result is that while longtime patent leader IBM applies for patents as a single company, Samsung applies under a large number of subsidiaries,” Hankes wrote. “When these subsidiaries are combined however, Samsung has displaced IBM with the top ranking for the last two years running.”

In this year’s list, Microsoft comes in at number 10, two spots behind its eighth place finish in the IFI report. Amazon was one of the biggest movers in 2016, jumping 12 places to number 14 on the Sqoop list. Also appearing in the report is Boeing, which came in at number 28.

Microsoft didn’t create the same kind of buzz Amazon did through patents, but it did make some big patent-related deals in 2016. In February, Microsoft licensed a series of file storage-related patents to GoPro. Then in June, Chinese device maker Xiaomi agreed to acquire nearly 1,500 Microsoft patents and pre-install Office and Skype on its Android-based smartphones and tablets, giving the Redmond company’s apps a new channel to reach customers in China, India and other parts of the world.

Nat Levy is a staff reporter at Geekwire covering a variety of technology topics, including Microsoft, Amazon, tech startups, and the intersection of technology with real estate, courts and government. Contact him at nat@geekwire.com and follow him on Twitter at @natjlevy.

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